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General Discussion / Re: old farts planning a big trip through Europe seek advice
« on: June 07, 2009, 02:20:08 pm »
Hi
Living in Europe and have done lots of touring here. You didnt write when but I assume in summer. If you are here in the second half of July and August keep away from the coasts. Holiday times and lots of people and traffic. Think you have to decide after France, Spain or Italy, both is to much with the time frame and dont think about going by the coast from Spain to Italy in summer, to stressful with traffic and a big recumbent. I would recommend going to France use maps with scale around 200 000 to 300 000, lots of clean and cheap camping sites and cheap hotels in the country site. With some careful map reading there are lots of small roads with little traffic. We are big fans (in the fifties) of using camping sites with a hotel now and then and the spend the money on nice menus (food and wine)in the evenings.
If you want to go to Italy I would recommend go through Germany and Austria. Could recommend this way "Via Claudia Augusta", it follows an old roman road. Did it last year and it just goes on small roads with little traffic or roads just for bicycles, mostly on tarmac with some small streches on gravel. In Italy though, it can be some more traffic.
Use this guide http://www.esterbauer.com/buecher/html/vca_buch.htm , its in German but you will get by with the maps . Its well signed in Germany and Austria and the most northern part of Italy. I think the easiest way for you to buy it, is on the German Amazon site www.amazon.de , use the ISBN number when you search the site for the guide.
If you go to Italy look for the weekly daily lunch menus (not weekends)in villages, but not in the tourist hot spots. Look where there are crafts men with there working clothes and small trucks outside the restaurant. You eat gourment food with two courses, a glass of wine and coffee for around 10-11 Euros. The Italians are fussy with there food. And it doesnt take 1 1/2 hour like in France. Spend like 45 minutes and you are in heaven. And dont ask me how, but you are not stuffed up with food after, so there is no problem to hit the road again. A last advice regarding Italy, the small roads around the cities in the big Po river area can have a lot of truck traffic so there are not a lot of space.
The GPS is good when you want to get through a city and want to find that small road on the other side. Otherwise no problems with maps if you use scales like 2-300 000.
Good luck
Kenneth
Living in Europe and have done lots of touring here. You didnt write when but I assume in summer. If you are here in the second half of July and August keep away from the coasts. Holiday times and lots of people and traffic. Think you have to decide after France, Spain or Italy, both is to much with the time frame and dont think about going by the coast from Spain to Italy in summer, to stressful with traffic and a big recumbent. I would recommend going to France use maps with scale around 200 000 to 300 000, lots of clean and cheap camping sites and cheap hotels in the country site. With some careful map reading there are lots of small roads with little traffic. We are big fans (in the fifties) of using camping sites with a hotel now and then and the spend the money on nice menus (food and wine)in the evenings.
If you want to go to Italy I would recommend go through Germany and Austria. Could recommend this way "Via Claudia Augusta", it follows an old roman road. Did it last year and it just goes on small roads with little traffic or roads just for bicycles, mostly on tarmac with some small streches on gravel. In Italy though, it can be some more traffic.
Use this guide http://www.esterbauer.com/buecher/html/vca_buch.htm , its in German but you will get by with the maps . Its well signed in Germany and Austria and the most northern part of Italy. I think the easiest way for you to buy it, is on the German Amazon site www.amazon.de , use the ISBN number when you search the site for the guide.
If you go to Italy look for the weekly daily lunch menus (not weekends)in villages, but not in the tourist hot spots. Look where there are crafts men with there working clothes and small trucks outside the restaurant. You eat gourment food with two courses, a glass of wine and coffee for around 10-11 Euros. The Italians are fussy with there food. And it doesnt take 1 1/2 hour like in France. Spend like 45 minutes and you are in heaven. And dont ask me how, but you are not stuffed up with food after, so there is no problem to hit the road again. A last advice regarding Italy, the small roads around the cities in the big Po river area can have a lot of truck traffic so there are not a lot of space.
The GPS is good when you want to get through a city and want to find that small road on the other side. Otherwise no problems with maps if you use scales like 2-300 000.
Good luck
Kenneth